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16. Thiago Silva
Four years ago when similar lists were made pertaining to the best centre-backs in the 2014 World Cup, Thiago Silva finished at or near the top in almost every single list. The Brazilian was widely regarded as one of the five best centre backs in the World. Those lists were proven right in the actual tournament as Silva finished with an average player rating of 7.16. Perhaps there was no better example of this than that famous game. Everyone remembers that Neymar missed the 7-1 loss to Germany but perhaps an even important loss to Brazil was Silva’s as the centre-back was suspended for the game.
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While Silva’s skills have declined over the past four years, the Brazilian still remains one of the best centre-backs in the world. Silva had an average player rating of 7.08 in Ligue 1 last season, interestingly significantly more than club/country teammate Marquinhos (and Miranda). The Brazilian has significantly developed his passing, with a pass success percentage of 96.1% which was highest not only in Ligue 1, but in the Top 5 European leagues. Yes that’s not a typo, the most accurate passer in Europe’s top leagues was Silva. This was only done at a high volume with the Brazilian making 68.5 average passes per game. His defensive stats were also excellent as Silva won 65.5% of his aerial duels and 75% of his average tackles. Nonetheless, the Brazilian still continues to be reckless with fouls (his aforementioned suspension was due to two yellow cards) as he averaged 1 per game in the Ligue 1 season. This along with his lack of pace prevent him from being higher in this list (and in the starting lineup of Brazil manager Tite).
15. Miranda
The likely Brazilian captain is one of the most respected central defenders in the World Cup. However, some may use statistics to show that the Brazilian is past his prime as last season, the defender was merely competent (a WhoScored rating of 6.89). After all, the defender only made 1.5 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, numbers exceeded by most players in these rankings (those who did not mainly played for more attacking teams than Miranda’s Inter Milan). While this is true, what this ignores is Miranda’s efficiency. He never dives in needlessly as his tackling success percentage was an astronomical 94%. The defender also won excellent 58% of his aerial duels. Moreover experience and consistency are unquantifiable commodities and the Brazilian has a paucity of both. Miranda also has a history of stepping up for Brazil, having consistently eclipsed his club performances when putting on the Selecao jersey. For example, in the 2015 Copa America (when the rest of his teammates struggled), Miranda had an excellent player rating of 7.03. These qualities propel the Inter Milan defender above his compatriot Silva.
